


Hunting Superman

by mrsfizzle



Series: Monsters and Meteors [2]
Category: DCU, Smallville, Superman - All Media Types, Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Drama, Family, Family Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hunters & Hunting, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Lex Luthor, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, Young Clark Kent, Young Dean Winchester, Young Sam Winchester, young lex luthor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-25 06:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30085170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsfizzle/pseuds/mrsfizzle
Summary: Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. There's something supernatural in Smallville, and Sam and Dean Winchester are going to find out what it is.Part of a series, but works as a standalone.
Relationships: Clark Kent & Lex Luthor, Dean Winchester & Lex Luthor, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Sam Winchester & Clark Kent
Series: Monsters and Meteors [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145399
Comments: 19
Kudos: 7





	1. Dead Body

**Author's Note:**

> This fic should read fine as a standalone, but it's episode 2 of the Monsters & Meteors series. If you haven't read episode 1 (Summer in Smallville), assume an established friendship between Sam, Dean, Clark, and Lex. Lex knows about monsters. No one knows about Clark's powers.
> 
> This story takes place in 1997. Dean is 18, Lex is 17, Sam is 14, and Clark is 10.

Clark was running faster than he'd ever run in his life.

He was only supposed to run this fast if he was close to the house. Out here, someone might be watching. They might see Clark running faster than a race car. Clark's dad would kill him if he found out he'd been risking his secret by running through other people's corn fields.

But Clark couldn't help it. He was scared. He'd been out exploring in the trees by his parents' property, and he'd found a _dead body_.

It was nothing like in the movies his parents didn't want him to watch. Those movies were stupid—he was ten, far too old to be afraid of actors splattered with red paint—but this was _real_. The man's eyes were wide open and glazed, his clothes were soaked in reddish brown blood, and there was a huge gash in his chest, like someone or something had torn him open.

So Clark was running. He crashed through a couple of fences on his way, but the splintered wood didn't even hurt. His heart was set to pound straight out of his chest, and he felt like he could run forever.

Luckily, he didn't have to. He slowed himself to a light jog once he reached his parents' land, and he was just speed walking by the time he reached the house.

His mom was making lunch in the kitchen. Clark hurried right past her, up the stairs, and to his bedroom, where he hid under the covers, shaking.

A light knock came at the door, and a moment later, the soft creak of the door swinging open. The other side of Clark's mattress dipped, and his mom's warm hand came up to rub his back over the blankets. "Hey. Everything okay?"

Clark poked his head out of the covers. "Yeah. I just . . . got tired, so I was going to take a nap." No way was he telling her that he had seen a body. She might think he'd just been imagining it, and then she might guess that Clark had been sneaking out of bed at night to sit on the staircase and watch the scary movies his parents were watching.

Even if she did believe him about the body, he didn't want to tell her he'd risked his secret just because he was startled. A dead body couldn't actually hurt him. Even if whoever—or whatever—killed the person was around, it probably couldn't hurt Clark. He was almost strong enough to lift the tractor now.

Still, Clark hoped he wouldn't have nightmares.

"You sure you're okay?" His mom frowned down at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I see," his mom said. That was the voice she used when she didn't believe him, but wasn't going to say anything about it. "Well, do you want a hug, just in case?"

"Um . . . no, I'm okay . . ." Clark shifted a little under the covers.

"That's too bad," his mom said. "I've been working really hard today, I could use a hug."

Clark hopped out of bed and jumped into his mother's arms, silently letting his breath out in relief. That body had been _scary_.

* * *

Sam never would have admitted it to anyone, but his dad's broken ankle was almost a relief.

They'd been hunting without a break for months. Something about Dean turning eighteen had spurred a new determination in their father to hunt, like he believed the three of them were capable of more now that there were two adults in the family. Of course, half the time he still left the two of them—or even just Sam—at the motel or cabin. But these days, he usually left them in charge of doing research while he was gone. They hadn't been able to catch a break since January, and it was summer now. Sam was getting burned out.

But his dad had taken a bad fall in his last hunt. He couldn't walk without crutches, which definitely meant hunting wasn't an option.

Sam was surprised at first when Dean suggested a solo hunt. That was something their father had never allowed before, even since Dean had turned eighteen. But Dean had pitched the idea to his father as a fairly straightforward case in Kansas, involving a body in the woods whose heart had been torn out. Sources had seen a figure run past at lightning speed nearby the kill site, and there was apparently a trail of smashed corn stalks and broken fences leading right to the place where the body was found. Whatever the creature was, it might have been incredibly strong and fast, but it was also sloppy. It would be an easy hunt. His dad had agreed without too much argument, and he'd even been okay with Dean taking Sam along.

Dean completely ignored Sam's protests that he was looking forward to the break, barking orders to get in the car—orders their father followed up, so Sam really didn't have a choice.

Only when they were on the road did Dean tell Sam that the body was found in Smallville, and the Kents had given them permission to stay with them. What's more, he'd also done enough research to find the contact information for Lex Luthor, and he'd managed to get message to him—and Lex had agreed to meet them at the farm.

Sam grinned until his cheeks hurt.

* * *

It was a year long endeavor. But it had been worth it.

Lex's relationship with his father was already a game. That wasn't new. What was new was Lex having information his father didn't.

Lex's summer at the Kent farm had been the best of his life, but his father had sent him there as a punishment—and he still believed it was an effective one. Lex had to keep his father believing that.

So Lex tested the waters. He talked back to his teachers, ran away from the school campus, and tanked his own grades from time to time. He put up with his father's increasingly creative and painful punishments, acting as though they had no effect on him even when they were absolutely devastating. But if ever his father made the slightest threat to send him back to the Kents, Lex would tremble with fear and clean up his act entirely for a few weeks.

A few days after the term ended, Lex got a letter from Dean saying that he and Sam needed his help with a hunt in Smallville. Lex immediately got himself involved in a cocaine scandal so severe, it actually tanked LuthorCorp's stocks.

Lex was still sore from the beating on the way over to the Kent farm. He tried to focus on the pain to keep himself from smiling as they pulled up in front of the house.

Mr. Kent was waiting for him by the front gate when they arrived. Mrs. Kent stood back on the porch. Lex climbed out of the limo before his father could get any ideas about dragging him by the ear, and he did his best to look subdued and afraid.

"Please, Dad," Lex muttered. "Not again. _Please._ "

"Mr. Kent." His father gave a bit of a smirk. "He's a hard case. You have my permission to be severe with him if he gives you any trouble."

"Understood." Mr. Kent gave Lex a stern look. Lex hadn't been able to get in touch with him to let him know the plan, so either Mr. Kent really was upset for some reason, or he knew he needed to act it in order to allow Lex to stay with them. Lex hoped desperately that it was the latter.

"And call me if you can't handle him."

"I will, Mr. Luthor." Mr. Kent nodded.

Lex's dad gave the back of his neck a quick, painful squeeze, then he returned to the limo.

When the car was out of sight, Mr. Kent's face broke into a grin, and Mrs. Kent rushed in from the front porch. She wrapped her arms around him while Mr. Kent clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Good to have you back, son."

"It's good to be here, Mr. and Mrs. Kent."

Mrs. Kent let go of him. "No, no. You call us Aunt Martha and Uncle Jon."

Lex's throat choked up. "Yes, ma'am. I mean, yes, Aunt Martha."

" _Lex!_ "

Lex barely had time to look up at the front door before Clark was barreling toward him and leaping into his arms.

" _I missed you!_ "

"I missed you too, Clark. Hey, I promised we'd see each other again, didn't I?"

Clark gave him one final squeeze and let go, then immediately launched into a long, rambling story about how his school year had been, and how many times he'd wished Lex had been there. It made Lex's head spin, but it also made him feel like all of his other troubles were melting away.

Aunt Martha and Uncle Jon had left to go back into the house, but Clark was still telling stories by the time Sam and Dean arrived. Sam grinned as he climbed out of the car and came over to give Lex a quick hug and a bright smile, then turned to Clark and hugged him for a little longer.

Dean hung back, standing by his car and watching Sam for a moment before his eyes turned toward Lex. He nodded and said, in a gruff voice, "Luthor."

Lex nodded in return. He held back his grin, but just barely.


	2. Recon

Clark's mom made fried chicken for lunch, and after lunch, he saw her starting to slice up fruit for a pie that night. He wanted to suggest a basketball game to his friends—he'd spent all year practicing how to control his speed and use just a _tiny_ bit of it during sports—but just before he could get the words out, his dad told him to let the older boys get settled into their rooms.

Clark slouched as he went out to do some afternoon chores, until he realized that he should really be _helping_ Lex get unpacked, since he was going to be sharing Clark's room. His parents didn't like for him to use his powers to do his chores without asking first, especially when there were other people around, but this was important. He glanced up at the house to make sure he was out of view of the windows, finished his work quickly, and then hurried up the stairs to his room.

Lex wasn't there.

Clark frowned. He almost went down to ask his mom about it, but then he heard voices from the next room over, where Sam and Dean were supposed to be staying. It wasn't just Sam and Dean; he heard _Lex's_ voice, too.

For a moment, Clark worried that Lex might be trying to move into their room instead, but that didn't make sense—the rooms definitely weren't big enough for three. He went out into the hallway, and he was about to knock on the door when something Dean said made him pause.

"—found dead bodies out in the woods. Mauled, hearts missing."

They knew about the dead body! And there had been more than one!

"Any clues in the article?" That one was Lex's voice.

"A trail," Dean said. "A pretty clear one, actually, through the cornfields. Goes straight through fences, like the thing tore straight through them."

That was _Clark's_ trail! Did they think _he_ had ripped out that person's heart?

Clark's heart began to race. He wasn't allowed to let anyone know his secret, not even his friends. He trusted his older friends completely—he thought of them as brothers, or at least as cousins, not that he had either—but his parents would kill him if he told them about his speed and strength.

But they thought whoever had left that trail had _killed_ someone! If the older boys found out Clark's secret, would they believe him when he said he was innocent?

Lex's voice again: "So we're looking for a creature with speed, strength, probably invulnerability—"

"Nothing is truly invulnerable," Sam's voice replied. "Even the strongest creature has its weakness."

That made Clark shudder.

"How many types of monsters have supernatural speed and strength?" Lex asked.

"Most of them," Dean said. "That's the problem."

 _Monsters!_ Now it almost sounded like they were playing some sort of game. If they hadn't mentioned the trail Clark made, he would have thought that that was all it was—he might have gone in and asked to play. Now, he wanted to rush in and tell them they were crazy. Monsters weren't real!

But then again, they all believed that people who could run faster than race cars and lift tractors weren't real, either.

. . . Could monsters be _real?_

"Okay, well, what kind of creature takes human hearts?" Lex asked.

"We were hoping you could help us figure that out," Dean said.

"You're the ones who fight monsters all the time," Lex said.

"You're the one who figured out that it was a Djinn that took Clark last summer," Dean said.

Clark's throat stopped up. He'd gotten lost last summer, and he'd been unconscious for most of it, but they'd never told him he was kidnapped by a _monster!_ Why did they never tell him?

And . . . Sam and Dean fought monsters? Would Sam and Dean try to kill Clark?

No—he was sure they wouldn't try to kill him. If they found out his secret, he'd tell them he just found the bodies. They were his friends; they wouldn't think he was a killer. He'd been _terrified_ by those dead bodies—not that he really wanted to admit that part.

"Last summer was a lucky guess," Lex said. "I don't even know which mythical creatures are real."

"Assume everything's real," Sam said.

"Well, we're going to need more evidence to narrow it down, then," Lex said.

"Then we should head out soon," Dean said. "The Kents are busy with chores. We can be back before they know we're gone."

"No, we're not going to sneak out again," Sam said. "Not after last time. We'll tell them we're going to explore a little. I don't think they'll object, as long as we're all together and don't get Clark involved."

That was it.

Clark threw open the door—he was careful not to break it, but it still slammed pretty loudly against the wall. "You weren't going to _tell_ me?"

Dean leapt to his feet from the floor, Sam backed up on the bed, and Lex stood from the chair where he'd been sitting.

"Monsters are _real?_ "

"Sh, shh, keep it down." Lex's eyes darted toward the door.

"I got _kidnapped_ last summer? You guys didn't _tell_ me?"

Sam held up his hands. "Clark, stop!"

"And Sam and Dean, you _fight_ monsters?"

Dean lunged towards him and grabbed his head, covering over his mouth with his hand. Clark could have pried away easily, but he didn't want to hurt Dean or reveal his strength, so he tried to react the way a normal kid would. He squirmed weakly, and then he licked Dean's hand.

" _Ew!_ " Dean pulled away, wiping his hand on his jeans.

Sam laughed. "You should've seen that coming, Dean."

"Seriously, though, Clark, you can't shout about it." Dean said.

"We don't want your parents to find out," Lex said.

Clark crossed his arms. "You didn't want _me_ to find out, either."

"That's true." Lex took a step closer. "We wanted to protect you."

"Why? Because I'm a kid? You think I'm scared?"

"Has nothing to do with being a kid." Dean's voice was a bit softer this time. "As soon as you know what's really out there, you never sleep the same way again. I don't want that kind of life for you, and I don't want it for your parents either."

"But doesn't it make them safer?" Clark asked. "You know, so they can protect themselves?"

Dean sighed. "Maybe, but my dad would kill me if he found out I told any of you."

Clark frowned and wrapped his arms around himself. He thought about how scared his parents had seemed the summer before when he'd been missing. When the other boys were out of the room, his parents hugged him so tightly and for so long, it had made him cry. He thought about the speeches his dad had made about how important it was to keep his secret to keep himself safe; his parents' only comfort was that Clark was invulnerable, and nothing could hurt him. He couldn't imagine how worried they'd be if that was taken away from them. If they knew there were real monsters out there, that could _hurt_ Clark . . .

Another shudder passed over his arms and legs.

"Okay," Clark said. "I get it."

"How are you at keeping secrets?" Sam asked.

"I'm pretty good at it. I think." Clark gave a little smile.

Dean and Lex exchanged a skeptical look, but they both sighed. "Okay, Clark," Lex said. "Think you can convince your parents to let us do some exploring?"

Clark smiled. "As long as I promise not to take you to any creepy warehouses, I think we'll be fine."

* * *

Recon was never Dean's favorite part of a hunt, and he'd expected it to be weird not to have his dad around. That part wasn't weird. Having a ten-year-old tagging along, though—that was more than a little worrying. And wandering around in a cornfield wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

But still, being with Sam, and being back with Lex and Clark—it felt good. It felt complete.

They didn't talk about the hunt while they walked out to find the trail, or what was left of it. They talked about the year they'd spent apart. Sam told about some of the occasional sightseeing they'd done while visiting different states, Clark talked about the animals on the farm, and Lex even told a few funny stories about the professors at his boarding school. For a moment, Dean could almost forget that he was here on business.

Then they reached the trail.

It was a few days old, and the smashed-in cornstalks had begun to recover, but the fences hadn't all been rebuilt. And Dean had never seen anything quite like it. Monsters had to retain their secrecy to survive; they weren't usually reckless. This was.

Clark looked really nervous. Lex put a hand on his shoulder, and Sam distracted him by talking about other hunts they'd been on—successful ones where no one had been injured, of course.

But the more Dean looked around, the more he wondered if Clark's fear stemmed from something else.

There were bits of fabric in the most jagged shards of the broken fence. And they perfectly matched the little tears in Clark's jacket sleeves.

Dean might have thought it was a coincidence, but then he found half of a blue shoelace and looked down to see that Clark had blue laces on one shoe and an old piece of twine on the other.

Clark knew something. He'd seen something. And he was better at keeping secrets than Dean had thought.

But Dean didn't have time to ponder it any further. Something hit him in the back of the head, hard enough that he fell to the ground, blacked out, and knew no more.

**Author's Note:**

> Your thoughts are always much appreciated!


End file.
